88CloudSpace

Gabriel Alvarez was born with nothing. A poor Hispanic-American kid struggling to survive the streets of New York, he died alone and starving—just another forgotten soul. But death wasn’t the end.

He awakens in Neo-Terra, a world where magic and technology have fused into a powerful System that governs society. Every person has a class, skills, and stats, their fate determined by the System’s rules. Yet Gabriel is different. Labeled Unawakened, he has no class, no abilities—until he discovers something forbidden.

He can hack the System.

What starts as a glitch quickly escalates into something much bigger. Gabriel isn’t the first to defy the System—there were others before him, people known as Deviants. Every single one of them was erased. Now, the Academy that once offered him sanctuary wants him dead. The Federation considers him a threat to world stability. And an ancient secret buried deep within the System is waiting for him to uncover it.

Armed with his unique ability to override the laws of reality, Gabriel is no longer a forgotten street rat—he’s a rogue element in a world that runs on rules.

And if the System wants him erased?

Then he’ll rewrite it.

Reborn in a World of Magic and Machines

Gabriel gripped the controls of the hacked mech, his pulse racing. The interior of the cockpit was a storm of flashing symbols, status updates, and System Override warnings. Yet, despite the chaos, the machine obeyed him.

Outside, the Federation enforcers hesitated, recalculating their approach. No one had ever taken control of a mech like this before.

"Gabriel," Aurelia's voice snapped him back. She was crouched behind a pillar, her pistol useless now that the System had disabled it. "If you're planning to get us out of here, now would be a good time!"

Focusing his thoughts, he commanded the mech forward. The massive construct surged ahead, its servos humming as it smashed through the enforcers' formation. The impact sent armored soldiers flying, their energy shields cracking under the force.

[ERROR: PILOT REJECTION OVERRIDE DETECTED]

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED OPERATION]

The System was trying to fight back. It was rejecting Gabriel's control, attempting to force him out. He could feel the mech's systems resisting, trying to reboot into lockdown mode.

Somehow, he could sense the code beneath the interface, like lines of raw text running through his mind. It was like seeing the world through a different lens—one where everything was written, editable, changeable.

And if the System could change things, so could he.

[OVERRIDE SYSTEM RESET.]

[COMMAND LOCK CANCELED.]

The resistance vanished. The mech became his.

Aurelia stared in shock. "How the hell are you doing that?!"

"Not sure," Gabriel admitted, his grin widening. "But it's working!"

A new squad of enforcers flooded into the corridor, plasma rifles raised. The lead officer shouted, "Fire!"

The mech moved like an extension of his own body, raising its arm. A compartment slid open, revealing a built-in pulse cannon.

[WEAPON SYSTEM ONLINE.]

A shockwave of blue energy tore through the corridor, sending enforcers scrambling for cover. Explosions rattled the walls as alarms blared louder. The Academy had officially declared him a hostile threat.

"Move!" Aurelia shouted, sprinting toward the mech. Gabriel activated the side hatch, allowing her to climb inside.

"Hold on!" He surged forward, crashing through the next set of doors, bursting into the night air.

The Academy skyline loomed ahead, a city of neon lights and floating platforms. Security drones were already inbound, red lights flashing as they prepared to engage.

"Let's see how far I can push this System."

Chapter 13: Seizing Control